The City of Your Final Destination (2009)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

One thing that has remained consistent in Merchant Ivory films is the elegance. They have a classy and stylish look which never feels overdone. 'The City of Your Final Destination' works in various way. It works as a mood piece, as a study of characters, a love story and a mystery. The film has a lyrical feel to it. The humour is subtle and welcoming as its timing is just right. The dialogues are poetic and the interactions between the characters are splendid. The character development is brilliant and the flourishment of the romance between Omar and Arden is delightful to watch.The Merchant Ivory team always had an eye for visuals. Each and every frame is exquisitely detailed. Javier Aguirresarobe's stunning cinematography captures the beauty of the Uruguayan landscape and interiors and wonderfully highlights each frame. The soundtrack is magic.The unique eclectic international ensemble is spellbinding. With actors like Anthony Hopkins, Norma Aleandro, Hiroyuki Sanada, Laura Linney, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Omar Metwally and Alexandra Maria Lara, could one ask for something better? Each and every one of them do a fantastic job.Merchant Ivory have created another classy gem. It's a shame that 'The City of Your Final Destination' received so little recognition. I wish films like this were made more often.

I am immensely pleased to have found this film. Many of the performances (Anthony Hopkins, Hiroyuki Sanada, Alexandra Lara, and Laura Linney) were inspired but some (Charlotte Gainsburg) were not. The story is engaging but there were many aspects of the plot that did not make real practical or emotional sense. The motion of the plot is a bit formulaic. The story drew me in in spite of the gaps, however. The cinematography is lush and beautiful. I particularly liked the warmth of the relationship between Hopkins' and Sanada's characters and the coldness at the heart of both Linney's and Lara's portrayal of their characters. When all is said and done, as E.M. Forster said: "only connect."

"The City of Your Final Destination" is about a young man (Omar Metwally) trying to write a biography of a late writer. He travels to Uruguay to meet the family still living on the estate. It's very reminiscent of "The Last Station" (2009), and just as good -- in its own way.The cast is completely remarkable. Laura Linney plays the cold, mysterious widow; Anthony Hopkins plays the wise, and yet child-like brother; Charlotte Gainsbourg is an emotionally-affected beauty. New-comer Omar Metwally played a perfectly sculpted character whom we wanted to follow, but was flanked by the opposing Alexandra Maria Lara. These characters were so exquisitely created and performed that I would forget they were just actors. With a few parallels to "The Last Station", I was reminded that Hopkins was the original choice to play the elderly Tolstoy, but their schedules never jived. I'm assuming Hopkins then purposely sought out this film to be able to explore some similar characters. Great choice.Written by the great and pioneering female screenwriter, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and brought to vision by James Ivory, "The City of Your Final Destination" explores themes of literature and of people moving on in their lives once they realize that the central figure that once held them all together no longer is, and of course all of their romantic entanglements. It's shot beautifully in South America and plays out like a classic piece of literature. Recommended for fans of character studies and readers of good books.

For more than 40 years director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant have been bringing forth signature films with screenplays written and adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Two years after the death of Merchant, the remaining team has created a film worthy of the genre, which took three more years to be released. Every frame is a masterpiece color photograph with period and location magnificently depicted. The story here is about Omar (Omar Metwally) a mid-western university doctoral student who has a grant to write a biography of a Latin American writer who had committed suicide. He takes temporary leave of Deidre (Alexandra Maria Lara), his controlling girl friend to travel to the beautiful Uruguay countryside in order to try to convince the executers of the writer's estate to authorize the biography. He finds the deceased writer's widow (Laura Linnley), the writer's girl friend Arden (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and the 8 year old daughter she had with him, the gay brother of the writer (Anthony Hopkins ) along with his lover (Hiroyuki Sanada ) who has been with him since he adopted him at age 15, all living together on a magnificent ranch estate miles from nowhere. The movie becomes a study of the personalities of this group and the dynamics between them. It also follows and explores the emotions of the would be biographer as he rather quickly develops feelings for Adrenia which leaves him with some important choices to make. A very effective ending allows you to come away from the movie realizing that everyone has decisions to make, which may make life better in ways never thought possible.